Shiokawa reunion in Tokyo

From the 2nd to the 4th, I slept at my great-aunt's place in Tokyo. My grandmother also came down from Tochigi and stayed at my great-aunt's place, which allowed us to spend a few days together before I go back to Canada.

On Tuesday, we went to see the Tokyo Sky Tree, which at 634 meters, is the tallest tower in the world. We didn't go all the way up because you had to pay an additional fee and we deemed that the view at the top wouldn't be much different than the view at the first observatory station, the Tembo Deck (350 m).

My grandmother (left) and great-aunt

On Wednesday, we went to see the newly restored Tokyo Station. A large part of the station was destroyed by firebombings on May 25 and June 25 in 1945. They've now rebuilt the rooftop domes, returning the station to its pre-war condition.

For lunch we ate a delicious meal at Sembikiya, Japan's oldest fruit shop. Sembikiya selects and then sells delicious fruit... at ridiculous prices! But if you're paying that much money, you're guaranteed that the fruit will be delicious.

If converted to Canadian dollars : 263, 72 $ !!! (for the whole fruit basket)

Thankfully, our lunch wasn't as expensive as the fruit basket ; ) We paid about 20 $ for our lunch which consisted of : avocado BLT sandwiches, fruit, and a fruit sundae. (and the fruit were dellllicious!)

Our lunch

After having satisfied our tummies, we went to see Nijubashi, two bridges that form an entrance to the inner palace grounds of the Imperial Palace.

And before going back home, we took a peak inside the Imperial Hotel. I don't even want to know how much it costs to spend one night there.

The outside view

On Thursday, my great-aunt prepared this breakfast for me : D

After breakfast, we went for a short walk.

And then, alas, it was time to say goodbye. When I return, I'll still skype with my grandmother and write letters to my great-aunt, but it's not the same thing as being in Japan and being able to spend time with them. However, I'm grateful for the year I spent with them. And my relatives are so happy that I am learning Japanese. When I came to Japan with my father three years ago, I couldn't speak much Japanese and so communication was limited. But after one year in Japan, my Japanese has improved greatly and we can now carry on long conversations. My grandmother even wrote to me in a letter: "Above anything else, what makes me the happiest is that you studied Japanese" (I know the sentence is a bit weird but it's often very difficult to translate from Japanese to English). I agree with my grandmother. Above all the experiences I've had in Japan, being able to speak with my relatives has been the most rewarding one.

Trip to Nikko

On Sunday (July 29), I met up with my uncle and his family at Musashi-Urawa station. From there, we drove to Nikko to meet my grandmother. Nikko is located in the western part of the Tochigi Prefecture.

First we went to see Kegon Falls, one of Japan's three highest waterfalls, measuring almost 100 meters. Unfortunately, it is also infamous for suicides.

From left: Me, my grandmother, my aunt Noriko, twins Hayato (back) and Mayu (front)

Next we took a boat ride around Lake Chuzenji.

The port from where we took the boat

Note: I don't know this boy. I simply framed my picture
around him.

It seems a few of us were tired: My cousin Mayu and my uncle Shoji taking a short nap

My grandmother

Then we visited Yunodaira Marsh, a natural hot spring which provides most of the town's hot water. The sulfur from the hot water spring smells pretty much like rotten eggs so I didn't particularly enjoy the smell.

Natural hot spring

We took a short break to dip our feet into a little foot bath. We walked a lot during the day so it was nice to wet our feet in warm water.

My cousin Mayu and my grandmother

Finally, we checked into the hotel. In Japanese hotels, there is often a public bath for people to wash themselves and relax. There are showers in each room but almost everyone uses the public bath instead. Once you've been in one, you'll understand why.

After we showered, we were given yukatas to wear. A yukata is worn in summer and is the lighter and much simpler version of the kimono.

For supper, we ate kaiseki ryori, a traditional Japanese meal brought in courses. About 7 or 8 courses but each course only has a few items and in very small quantity so it doesn't feel like that much. In January, when I went to Kyoto, I ate osechi ryori which is also a traditional Japanese meal brought in courses but only served during the New Year's holidays. At that time, I tasted everything (my Mom always encourages us to at least try) but there were a lot of things that really were quite awful. This time however, I tasted everything and I enjoyed probably about 70-80% of the meal. There were only a few items that I really disliked. And there were even items I wanted to eat more of. So I view that as an accomplishment. : )

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The next day, after a traditional Japanese breakfast, we set out to visit the Toshogu Shrine.

Famous carving of the three wise monkeys: Mizaru (sees no evil),
Kikazaru (hears no evil), Iwazaru (speaks no evil)

The architecture of Japanese temples and shrines is really incredible.

And that was it for our trip to Nikko. Had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time with my relatives. Thank you Shoji, Noriko, Mayu and Hayato!



Visit to Yaita

On the 6th, I met my brother and father in Shinjuku. After a quick stop at my aunt's, my father, brother and me, along with their two big suitcases, took the train to Ikebukuro, then transferred onto the train bound for Utsunomiya. At Utsunomiya, we only had to transfer one more time before arriving in Yaita, (in the Tochigi prefecture), where my grandmother lives. Since I came to Japan last year, I didn't get the chance to go see her. And I didn't know how to get there either. So now I know and I'm planning to go visit her during the summer.

It was a bit colder in Yaita but it was great to be able to relax and spend some quiet time with my family. The house is very small and there isn't much to do in Yaita, but just being with people I love is enough. On Saturday, my father's brother and his family came over to visit. Together, we also went to visit my grandfather, who is now living in a nursing home. His memory isn't so great and he often can't recognize people, even his own family but I'm glad we got the chance to see him.

Back row: (from left to right) Vincent, me, my grandmother, Mayu (my cousin), Noriko (my aunt)
Front row: my father, Tetsuro (my grandfather), Shoji (my uncle and dad's brother)

Supper time

Decorated my phone with stickers bought at the dollar store

The most memorable incident is probably what happened on our last night at Yaita. My brother and I found these cool do-it-yourself bead keychains at the dollar store near Tokai. So we wanted to buy some more at the dollar store in Yaita. Our uncle dropped us off at at the dollar store before going back home. We found the keychains easily and bought a few of each different kind. After our shopping, we started walking back together. But at one point the road forked and I was absolutely sure that left was the way to go. So I took the left while my brother continued on the right. I thought the roads joined together after but I was wrong. I will let you know that I'm very bad with directions. Unless I pay especially close attention to where I'm going, (ex. turn right at the 3rd light, then turn left at the post office, etc), I have a hard time finding my way back. Even in Shinjuku, my brother who was there for the first time in his life was the navigator. So... Yaita is definitely not as big as Shinjuku... but it doesn't have to be big for me to get lost. I walked about 10 minutes in one direction, then another 10 minutes in the other direction... It was starting to get dark and I knew my father would be angry that we had separated. I was tempted to ask a pedestrian where the Ashikaga bank was located because from there, I knew my way. But maybe to prove my brother wrong, and to prove to myself that I could, I decided I would get back home by myself, without asking for help. So I kept walking. And then finally, (Allelujah!) I stumbled across a familiar landmark (by pure chance), the shop near my grandmother's house. My dad was not happy. My brother had arrived minutes before but since I wasn't there, he set out to look for me. But finally, he came back and everything was ok. Except that I really need to improve my sense of direction...

Surprise trip to Asakusa

On Wednesday, I took the train to Shinjuku where I was supposed to meet my father's aunt, Shizuko. We were simply going to have lunch together. At least, that's what I thought.

When I arrive in Shinjuku, guess who is waiting with Shizuko? My grandmother Masako! It's quite a trip from where she lives so I was pleasantly surprised to see her there. I had talked to her the day before but she hadn't mentioned anything. Apparently, my aunt Shizuko told her not to say anything and surprise me.

My aunt asked me if there was a place I wanted to visit (there are quite a few) and finally we decided on Asakusa, a place a few people recommended I visit. We visited the Senso temple, Asakusa's main attraction.

From left: myself, my grandmother Masako, and my aunt Shizuko

We also walked along the Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street, a street filled with little shops that are themselves filled with tons of things you don't need. But if I bought them for their esthetic value, I would buy everything in sight. They have so many beautiful hankerchiefs, vases, keychains, etc.

Enough chopsticks for you?

My grandmother and me also rode in a little cart pulled by a human runner. In Japanese, they're called jinrikisha (jin = human, riki = power or force, and sha = vehicle), meaning "human-powered vehicle". In English, they're called "pulled rickshaw", taking its origin from the Japanese word. Usually it's the other way around, with Japanese borrowing English words such as "hamburger" and "entertainment".

Our human runner

We walked a lot that day. I was tired. My grandmother and aunt must have been twice as tired but they never let it show. I hope I'm as in shape as they are when I'm their age. Senior citizens in Japan are really amazing. Every day, you can see 70, 80 + year olds walking, grocery shopping or riding a bike. After all, Japan is the country with the longest life expectancy.

My grandmother and me

My grandmother, Masako

I finally got the chance to see my grandmother!!! It's weird because even though I'm in Japan, (instead of in Canada), I don't get to see my grandmother because she lives about 2 hours and a half away from Tokai University. I don't yet know how to get to her house in Yaita, located in the Tochigi prefecture. And for her to make the trip to Tokai takes a lot out of her. In Canada, driving that distance is almost nothing, especially for people who live outside the city. I'm used to driving every day into the city, which usually takes about an hour. But in Japan, that same distance takes about twice as much time and is twice as exhausting because there are constantly people around you. So up until now, I hadn't had the opportunity to see my grandmother. We'd been exchanging letters and recently, she also learned how to use Skype. Amazing, right? lol I think we were all a bit surprised, including her, when we found out that she now has an account on Skype. We talked a few times and I think she now has the hang of it. She knows how to accept and end a call... which is pretty much all you need to know.

But it's never the same as meeting someone in the flesh... which I finally got to do the other day! I finally met my grandmother! She came to Tokai and we ate lunch together. I showed her my room and the dojo. And thanks to my Japanese classes, my Japanese has improved leaps and bounds and we were able to talk about so many different topics... and actually understand each other : ). Two years ago, when I visited Japan with my father, I barely knew any Japanese. Of course it was great to see my grandmother then, but we couldn't exchange and communicate the way we can now. And it's only going to get better. : D

So to my grandmother, who faithfully reads my blog (she can understand a bit of English):
愛してる！また今度会いましょう！楽しみしていますよ。: )